Pair of ski-boots having guiding surfaces



F. WAGNER PAIR OF SKI-BOOTS HAVING GUIDING SURFACES Filed Aug. 14, 1967 Nov. 19, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 19, 1968 F WAGNER 3,411,224

PAIR OF SKI-BOOTS HAVING GUIDING SURFACES Filed Aug. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,411,224 PAIR OF SKI-BOOTS HAVING GUIDING SURFACES Fritz Wagner, Darmstadt, Germany, assignor to Schuhfabrik Henke & Co. Aktieugesellschaft, Stein am Rhein, Schalfhausen, Switzerland Filed Aug. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 660,333 Claims priority, application Austria, Aug. 12, 1966, A 7,720/66 Claims. (Cl. 362.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Each boot of a pair of ski-boots is formed with an external guiding surface provided on the inner side of the upper of the boot, said guiding surface extending in substantially longitudinal direction from the fore-foot portion of the boot until the heel portion thereof and in vertical direction from the sole of the boot until the portion of the upper situated below the ankle of the wearer. The two guiding surfaces on the inner sides of the two boots facing each other are adapted to contact each other when the wearer going on skis presses the two feet one towards the other, to thereby facilitate skiing with the two skis in parallel joined position. The guiding surfaces may be formed by the outer surface of a member attached to the upper of the boot. This member may be laminated and consist of an inner layer of a molded plastic material and an outer layer of leather, or said member forming the guiding surface may be integral with the sole of the boot and molded in a single piece together with the sole.

Conventional ski-boots are shaped to fit the anatomic form of the foot. S uch boots usually are provided with means to improve the connection between the foot of the wearer and the boot to afford proper support of the foot and/or to improve the connection between the boot and the ski.

It is a known fact that a conventional approved form of ski has a width at the point of about 9 centimeters, at the region of the ski-binding the width of the ski is about 7 centimeters, and at the end of the ski the width is about 8 centimeters. The result of such a form of the skis is that 'when ski running with the two skis in parallel joined position, i.e. when the skiing person applies the legs and feet one towards the other, the skis are in a position in which the fore parts of the two skis have the tendency to diverge away from each other. This tendency can be bothersome or even dangerous when running at high speed. An experienced skier remedies this situation by an increased effort to force the skis to remain in closed parallel position, or by slightly increasing the distance between the two skis to enable them to remain in parallel position. These expedients, however are unsatisfactory. The increased expenditure of force does not result in any useful effect, because the two skis inspite of the effort, do not occupy the desired ideal position, and when increasing the distance between the skis, the mutual guiding effect of the skis when they make contact at the points and at the ends is lost.

It is an object of the invention to provide a pair of ski-boots which facilitates skiing and while conserving the conventional shape and width of the skis, enables the skis to remain parallel without abandoning the mutual guiding effect of the skis.

In a pair of ski-boots according to the present invention, each boot comprises an upper and a sole, and each boot is formed with an external guiding surface provided on the inner side of the upper, i.e. on the side of the boot facing the other boot, said guiding surfaces extending in 3,411,224 Patented Nov. 19, 1968 substantially longitudinal direction from the fore-foot portion of the boot until the heel portion thereof and laterally projecting beyond the contour of the sole of the boot at the inner side of the boot, said guiding surfaces of the two boots of the pair being adapted to be held in contact with each other upon skiing to thereby facilitate skiing with the two skis in parallel joined position.

The guiding surfaces of the two boots will conveniently be formed by a member attached to the upper of the boots. This member can be of laminar structure and comprise an inner layer preferably consisting of molded plastic material and an outer layer of leather. It is also possible to form the member providing the guiding surface and the sole as an integral part as a single molded piece of plastic material, such as PVC.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a right boot in the position attached to a ski,

FIGURE 2 is a view from the rear of the boot shown in FIGURE 1, together with a portion of the left boot,

FIGURE 3 is a view fromthe rear of a pair of boots attached to a pair of skis showing the relative position of the two boots when effecting a turn with the skis.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a pair of skis with the boots according to the invention attached to the skis.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view showing the guiding member in horizontal section.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section of a modification.

FIGURE 1 represents the right boot of a pair of ski boots, the visible side of the boot being that facing the left boot of the pair. The represented boot comprises a sole 2 which, as it is usual in ski boots, has a substantially plane tread surface destined to rest on the ski 3 and attached thereto by any conventional ski binding, not shown. In the represented example, the upper 4 of the boot is provided with a buckle closure which is the modern type of closure for such boots, but it is obviously also possible to provide the boot with the conventional string closure. The inner side of the boot upper, i.e. the sides of the uppers of the two boots of a pair facing each other are provided with an external guide layer 5 which is glued to the outside of the upper and extends from the forepart of the boot to the heel portion thereof. The outer surface of this guide member 5 has a contour which in a horizontal sectional plane, parallel to the sole of the boot is substantially a straight line 6 as seen in FIGURES 4 and 5. The portion of the upper 4 in the area of the guide member 5 naturally retains the shape adapted to the foot of the wearer, as any usual boot, so that the member 5 in longitudinal section as seen in FIGURE 5, will be thickner in its middle portion than at both end portions.

As seen in FIGURES 2 and 3 the outer surface of the guide member 5 in vertical section is of outwardly convex shape as indicated by the dotted lines 7 in FIG. 1. The inner edge face 8 of the sole 2 also extends along a straight line.

It is seen from FIGURE 4 that the guide member 5 projects beyond the inside lateral face 9 of the ski for one half of the difference in width of the ski at the top 10 and .at the region 11 of the ski binding where the foot of the wearer is attached to the ski. A conventional ski has a width of about 9 centimeters at the largest portion of the top, about 7 centimeters at the region 11 of the binding and about 8 centimeters at the end. The guide member 5 accordingly projects for about 1 centimetter laterally of the side face 9 of the ski. It follows that when skiing in the closed formation of the skis, i.e. with the skis in a position shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the two points of contact of the two skis of the pair are no longer situated near the forward end of the ski and at the rear end thereof, but contact establishes at the forward end of the skis and along the guide members 5 of the two ski boots. When the skiing person applies the two feet one against the other, the two skis, owing to the straight longitudinal contour lines 6 of the guide members 5 projecting beyond the longitudinal side faces of the two skis, will be held positively in an almost perfect parallel position.

Since the guide members 5 extend over a substantial length of the boots, this cooperating contact is also then established when, according to well known Skiing technique, that ski which is not charged by the weight of the skiing person, is slightly advanced, less than one length of the foot, with respect to the other ski.

It is visible from FIG. 3 that the two cooperating guide members 5 of a pair of boots also remain in contact with each other when a turn is effected with the skis and the two boots are at a different level. Owing to the outwardly curved shape of the guide members 5 in vertical section, a continuous contact is maintained between the outwardly bulging surfaces of the two guide members, also during a changing inclination of the two skis in transverse direction.

Since in running position of the skis the guide members of the two ski-boots are in contact with each other, as well as the forward end of the two skis, and since the two skis are narrower at their rear end than at their forward end, and a space is left between the two end portions of the skis in correct running position, the skis will always remain in parallel position as long as the two boots are pressed against one another. Owing to the length of the guide member, it is also possible to use the right ski or the left ski as leading ski and to elfect a change of the leading ski from the right ski to the left ski and vice versa during running whenever desired. In conventional ski boots, it may happen, due to anatomic conditions of the foot, for example a too prominent ankle bone, that the outwardly bulging upper at the area of the ankle bones prevents a sliding of one of the boots relative to the other boot when a change of the leading ski is desired.

As seen in FIG. 5, the guide member 5 is of laminated structure and consists of two layers, an inner layer 12 of plastic material, e.g. PVC which is directly molded on the upper 4 to compensate the differences in thickness between the upper 4 made to fit the contour of the foot of the wearer at the region of the ankle and the outer straight guide face of the guide member 5, and an outer layer 13 of leather.

In the modification according to FIGURE 6 showing the right hand boot of a pair of ski-boots according to the invention the outer sole 14 and the guide member 15 form a single piece of plastic material molded to the insole 16 and the upper 17. At the side of the guide member 15, the upper 17 only reaches until the upper part of the guide member material, while the major portion of the guide member is molded to a lining member 18.

I claim:

1. A pair of ski-boots, each boot comprising an upper and a sole, the inner side of the upper of each boot forming a longitudinally extendingguiding surface laterally projecting beyond the contour of the sole of the boot, said guiding surfaces of the two boots of the pair being adapted to contact each other to thereby facilitate skiing with the skis in parallel joined position.

2. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 1 in which said guiding surfaces of the two boots are formed each by a member attached to the upper of the boot.

3. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 1, in which the guiding surface of each boot extends longitudinally from the fore-foot portion of the boot to the heel portion of the boot.

4. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 1, in which the outer contour of said guiding surface in a horizontal section parallel to the sole forms a straight line and in vertical section forms an outwardly curved line.

5. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 3, in which said guiding surface extends in vertical directions from the upper face of the sole to a point close to the ankle portion of the upper.

6. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 5, in which said guiding surface is formed by a member attached to the upper and consists of leather.

7. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 3, in which said guiding surface is formed by the outer face of a laminated member including an inner layer for compensating the differences in thickness between the upper fitting to the shape of the foot of the wearer and the guiding surface, and an outer layer of leather.

8. A pair of ski 'boots according to claim 7, in which said inner layer consists of a molded body of plastic material.

9. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 4, in which the inner edge face of the sole of each boot extends along a straight line from the fore-foot portion of the boot to the heel portion.

10. A pair of ski-boots according to claim 2, in which said member forming the guiding surface and the outer sole of each boot are formed of a single molded piece of plastic material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,041,747 7/1962 Monsma 361 3,228,123 1/1966 Iams 362.5 3,303,584 2/1967 Werner et al 362.5

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

